THEO OF GOLDEN BOOK CLUB - WEEK 3 - CHAPTERS 11-15

THEO OF GOLDEN by Allen Levi

I have to start this post off with a few things that I've been wondering as I get further into the book. The first is, literally, what is Theo doing and why? What is his motive behind the actions he is taking? There is definitely a part of what he is doing that has been thought out in advance, planned. I haven't read ahead at all (yet!). so I don't know anything that is coming up. What I'm about to say is pure speculation on my part, and I may very well be way off. I'm wondering if we're dealing with a man who has made grave mistakes in his life and is now trying to atone for them, or I'm wondering if we're dealing with a man who is looking at a terminal diagnosis or maybe just realizing that he doesn't have long on this earth and is trying to do some "good" in this world before he dies. I can remember my grandfather, as he aged, stopping to talk to young people about Jesus everywhere he went. Knowing he was reaching the end of his life and that time was short, there was very little that mattered to him as much as what lay past this life. Speaking of time, that is something the book has mentioned more than once.. The fact that all of this takes place in the span of a year. I think it's also interesting that Theo's hired "help" to help him complete his job. Again, is he up against a clock that we aren't aware of.

Something else that has caught my eye is the title. As I closed the book and thought about the reading for today, the title really jumped out at me - Theo of Golden, but that's just it. Theo isn't really from Golden, is he? I'm thinking of the small town that I'm from. We're a small, rural, farming community, and while we are friendly, sometimes, if you're new in town, it takes a while to "break in." Roots run deep and strong here. With that thought in mind, the title took me a bit off guard. Is he establishing himself so deeply in Golden that he is/will be considered truly of Golden?

With that said, did you think about the questions I gave you last week to ponder at the start of each chapter? Let's see what we uncovered this week about our gentle protagonist.

Chapter 11

So what did we learn about Theo in this chapter? He needs help accomplishing his goal. He clearly has money easily available to him. It's important to Theo that he write a letter to each portrait subject and meet them in person. He clearly values personal connection.

Chapter 12

What did we learn about Theo? It's very clear he's found his purpose in life for this particular season. Are you in a stage where you know your purpose, or do you envy Theo?

Don't you just love Mrs. Gidley's response to this whole thing? You've got to think she's been around the block a few times working in Mr. Ponder's office, and she's not happy with what's going on. I am really asking myself "why!"

We meet the next 3 portrait recipients in this chapter. Junior becomes a source of information for Theo. Bun is a university student. She comes with her friend, Sara, and we get a future picture that they eventually start a magazine together.. (Sara is a later recipient of a portrait as well.) Frankie Knowles is a 12-year-old boy in a wheelchair.

So far, with each person, Theo learns a bit about the person, and he often shares with them what he noticed in their portrait that caused him to choose it. I almost call this a blessing that he speaks over them.

One thing I spent some time thinking about in this chapter is the fact that Theo is not the first person to notice and really look at each of these people. Mr. Glissen, the artist, is. He photographed them, and then drew them with detail. I'm wondering if anything will come of that.

Chapter 13

What did we learn about Theo? He is bringing healing by what he is doing. We have a break in the story line in this chapter. For a moment, the beautiful setting that we find ourselves in around the fountain is peeled back, and we hear the history of the large oaks. They bear scars of a darker time in the community's history when the trees were used to take lives instead of part of the landscape. We might ask ourselves why this shows up here? I think it's a parallel picture to what Theo is doing with the portraits. He is bringing beauty to the painful pieces of the past of several of these people's lives. One of the trees bears the "Eye of God" that cries continually from what it's seen, but one day everything will be set right. The "Eye of God" is focused on Theo.

Chapter 14

What did we learn about Theo in this chapter? He's uncannily aware of his surroundings. Notice that when Kendrick is checking out Theo from the university window, Theo is actually watching him as well. He's also very generous. He blesses a hospitalized little girl with gifts and a cake.

Remember that Theo knew Kendrick's story before he met him. He and Shep stood together and looked at the portrait together in the coffee shop at the start of the story, and Shep told him about the loss that happend. I love the words of affirmation that Theo speaks over Kendrick. He tells Kendrick that he is a good father. This man who has lost his significant other (the book doesn't tell us if the woman is his wife or girlfriend) by a car accident, and his 8-year-old daughter is in the hospital recovering. He works as a janitor and then goes and stays in the hospital with his daughter until it's time for his shift. The faithful father. The protector that stands in his post that no one sees, but Theo does.

Chapter 15

What do we learn about Theo? To him the world is noisy and full of chaotic, angry sound. When he wakes in the night he loves the peace. He surrenders to happy memories. What an interesting concept to appreciate when you wake up in the night. Most of us mourn the lost hours of restful sleep.

This time, though, we are given a bit of a mystery to ponder. A woman sits before the fountain softly singing. A police car drives by and doesn't pay her any attention. Clearly, either they know her or know she's a regular at this spot. I wonder what her story is.